West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-08-19
HARPER's FERRY LETTER.
HARpER's Ferry, August Is.

| uOb WlSuluS W luipooC Oh SOOa h~
ture we would fain appeal for aid, THIS
time, directly to the MUSES., whose
devoted friend we have ever been,
but we could hardly expect theW in
this torrid time to leave the cool
breezes of Parnassus and the crys-
tai waters of Castalia to swelter in
our bake-oven atmosphere and drink
from our town-pump just because a
penny -a-liner is hard up for some
thing to say. Besides, the weather
is right here on the spot and has
not to travel all the way from Phocis
to help us ont and, moreover, there
is no use in having friends if you do
not use them, as the fellow SAID
when lie borrowed from all his ac-
quaintances without the least inten
ton of repayment. We are there
fore emboldened to call again on our
kind deliverer of last week the more
so because we claim that our present
deplorable state of hamilton is di-
rectly attributable to our friends
own unreasonable behavior this
summer. We have seen it stated
somewhere that water constituted
two-thirds of the human system and,
if this be so, there is but one fhird
of us left, for we have perspired un-
til we are as dry as Patent office
Report or a temperance tract, and
there is not moisture enough in our
brain to nourish thought worthy
of the DEMOCRAT or it's legion of in
! telligent readers. We feel assured
that your patrons fully sympathize
with a lassitude which we doubt not
they experience in their own persons
and, trusting to their indulgence
will proceed with our perfunctory
task, confessing that we are not
much sin the vein"
On Tuesday, the 9th inst, Adam
Brown, one of the oldest citizens of
this place, died at the ripe age
of seventy-nine years. 1t often hap
pens that it is no compliment to a
man to say Of him that he passed
through life without an enemy. for
an exemption from hostility is fire.
quently but the compensation mer-
cifully vouchsafed to want of in
dividuality and force of character
for the loss of warm love and firm
friendship. 1t was Mr.. Browns
happy lot to enjoy without the least
dissent or qualification the highest
respect of the community in which
he spent nearly all of his life, for he
was as unbending in principle as he
was suave in manners, and of him
it can be truly said that he was not
only man without foe, but one
who was loved and respected by ali
his acquaintance. His life was a
long, sunshiny summers day with
out cloud or storm, and his death
was fitting termination of such Il
life-a calm, gentle fading away
from earth to the ineffable peace Of
which his whole existence was q
foretaste. Mr.. Brown was native
of Charlestown, but in his early
manhood he moved to this place, and
for over thirty years he held respon
sible offices in the United States ar
mory here. At the breaking out Of
the late war he followed the fortunes
of the South, and under the Confed
crate government he held an impor-
tant trust in the Fayetteville arse
nal. At the close of the war he re-
turned to this place and was en-
gagged in business here until short
time before his death. In 1872 he
entered into communion with the
Presbyterian Church, and on the
very day of his reception into mem
bership he was made an elder, which
we believe is an unusual honor, and
one that marked the high estimation
in which he was held.
We regret to record two accidents
to eXcursionists at Island Park last
week. On Wednesday on the occa-
sion of Sunday-scho picnic of
the Protestant Episcopal Church of
Charlestown a young boy, whose
name we believe is Wood, was caught
in some machinery connected with q
gymnastic apparatus at the place.
We are glad to learn that he escaped
with trifing injuries. On Friday,
at a picnic of the combined Metho-
dists and Presbyterian Sunday
schools, also of Charlestown, Mr..
John Burns, one of the most promi-
nent men of this county, was very
seriously injured at the railroad
crossing near the Island. He and
his lady were approaching the cross
ing in buggy. when Mr.. Burns no.
ticed an approaching freight train
and halted to let it pass. He I'M
fortunately came too near the track,
and the horse becoming unmanage-
able the buggy was caught and up
set by the train and Mr.. Burns re-
ceived such injuries as excited the
gravest fears for his life. DR.. b. B.
Ransom, of this place, was instantly
summoned, and rendered such as
sistance as enabled Mr.. Burns
friends to remove him to his home
near Charlestown. We are happy
to hear that the lady escaped with
out injury. All the horses hoofs
were cut oil, and the poor brute was
a pltiable sight, standing on the mu-